President Obama vetoed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, but Congress overrode him.

It is easy to understand why any American, especially members of Congress, would want to stand behind the families of the thousands of victims who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

There are numerous ways we can assist and honor these families, however, passing and implementing the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) is not one.

On the surface it sounds wonderful. U.S. citizens can bring suit against countries they believe fully or in part sponsored a terrorist or military action, win judgments and reap large settlements to easy their suffering. If only it were that simple. Ironically, it ultimately provides neither justice nor satisfaction for the families.

There are several reasons why. First, JASTA will undermine our ability to defend our interests around the world. In their quest for justice against terrorism, Congress may be making the United States and our military and government officials more vulnerable than they are today.

The principle known as sovereign immunity has governed relations between states for centuries. It holds that governments cannot be sued for civil wrongs without their consent. In international relations, it preserves the right and responsibility of governments to settle disputes with other governments on behalf of their citizens.

By allowing the families of 9/11 victims to bring suit in federal court against governments such as Saudi Arabia or Iran for any real or perceived involvement in acts of terror or military action, JASTA would gut sovereign immunity. It is a move that will have grave consequences, especially for our diplomats and military all across the world by encouraging other countries to bring Americans before foreign courts for carrying out their official duties and even make the U.S. government responsible for acts of private citizens.

No nation wants this. In fact, several countries have raised their deep concerns about JASTA with the United States government, including the Gulf Cooperation Council, the European Union, the Netherlands, Turkey and Pakistan – countries where many thousands of U.S. servicemen and women are or have been present.

The United States military, the Department of State and our intelligence agencies have people performing duties vital to our nation security around the world. Without sovereign immunity, other countries could prosecute them or allow their citizens to file suit against them or the U.S. government in their courts. Can you imagine the chaos if the Iranian government attempted to arrest and detain an American solider or government official? Would you not expect our country to do everything possible to prevent such an action?

Whether the allegations have merit or not is immaterial; what matters is that they would be subject to local courts — not just in Canada or Germany, but even potentially in places like Pakistan, Russia or Venezuela. Remember, and as much as some wish were the case, there is no solid evidence the government of Saudi Arabia was complicit in the attacks of 9/11.

The blame for passing JASTA is bipartisan. Members of both parties engaged in election year pandering and while President Obama rightly vetoed the bill, the lobbying efforts from the White House were incompetent at best.

Congress, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should know JASTA is wrong. Let’s encourage them to begin work on language that protects the soldiers and diplomats that faithfully serve our great country.

Air Force Major Gen. (Ret.) William Russell Cotney resides in Memphis. He worked with former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen. He is being inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame for his 40 years of service.